Friendly giant mantas Daniel & Terry wait for diver to play

Manta Daniel appeared 1st & Terry stole the show afterward. The names are given by Pacific Manta Research Group [per Karey Kumli of the Research Group]. Friendly manta waits for diver to pet her. Her manta buddy joins in. The Boiler at San Benedicto Island, Revillagigedo Islands Group, Mexico.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• manta
• ray
• scuba
• diving
• mexico
• close-up
• socorro

[KKumli]

First manta's Daniel, 2nd one's Terry and we've never seen Terry's dorsal surface till now, great shots of those white epaulets without any markings at all it seems - do you have stills of the dorsal? Great gill shot, the remora looks tiny and streamlined. Wish the other would let go of the wingtip!

[wongcpa8]

Thanks for the comment & your dedication to the manta research. Now we know of their names. Warmest Regards.

[unccrazy333]

awesome video fun to watch and informative!!!! can manta rays sting???????????

[wongcpa8]

Manta ray can be up to over 20 ft wide. The Manta's barb [actually just a tail] is not venomous any more due to the lact of natural enemies & use of it for generations. We can safely say all rays have venomous barb except manta.

[LoveEverlasting]

Wow, are manta's always this big? =O She's huge! Well... I'm expecting an answer like, "Oh no... they get much bigger!" xP

R.I.P Steve Irwin! (You will always be remembered for the great things you did, and for what a great person you were... see ya in heaven mate!)

[wongcpa8]

Manta ray can be up to over 20 ft wide. The Manta's barb is not venomous any more due to the lact of natural enemies & use of it for generations. We can safely say all rays have venomous barb except manta.

[headcrabwarrior6161]

manta rays are my favorite aquatic animals

[bubbleinsights]

It's sad to see people touch everything they can underwater. I think the responsibility should ultimately lie with the dive operators - they should ensure that nobody touches either the wildlife or the coral! They should be reported and fined alongside the trespassers.

[Xiph1980]

Wow, it's enormous! Never saw one with a diver so close to it. Gives their size a bit more perspective. They are gorgeous though :)

[zingtea]

You're right, they don't need to touch the manta, I wouldn't.

[Pulv]

yes thats true.. but do they have to touch the manta, when they want to play with him? and you got a big point on getting SCUBA very easy.. thats very sad and im very glad to have a good diving education, which contains e.g. the respect for everything

[zingtea]

But I still think the border between playful interaction and harassment is not very clear. E.g, that manta definitely wasn't trying to get away, and I've seen what they look like when they do.